Topic: mutual inhibition

Sequenced behaviors, including locomotion, reaching, and vocalization, are patterned differently in different contexts, enabling animals to adjust to their current environments. However, how contextual information shapes neural activity to flexibly alter action patterning is not yet understood. Prior work indicates such flexibility could be achieved via parallel motor circuits, with differing sensitivities to sensory context; instead we demonstrate here how a single neural pathway operates in two different regimes dependent on recent sensory history. We leverage the Drosophila song production

Communication is multi-modal - when we interact, we speak, gesticulate, and touch. However, the neural computations and circuits that choose these different communication signals are unclear. We address this issue in Drosophila which thanks to its complex social behavior and genetic toolbox is ideal for dissecting the neural basis of communication. During courtship, male flies produce two types of communication signals to woo the female: air-borne song is produced by wing movement, while substrate-borne vibrations are transmitted via the legs. Using statistical modelling of pose tracking data